Ada

Ada lay sprawled out on the floor of his room. Around him were mounds of dirty clothes and stacks of unfinished homework. The room smelt slightly off, as if it had been shut off from the outside world for far too long. The half open blinds filtered rays of morning sunlight across his face and body. Ada slowly turned to one side and glanced at the cracked watch on his wrist. "10:30. Oh well, late again". He dragged himself to his feet and threw on a crumpled uniform, loose tie hanging askew.

As Ada sat in the lobby pulling on his shoes, he heard a shout from further in the house. "Ada, get the hell up already! You can't miss school again. Ada, answer me when I'm talking to you!" Sighing, he yanked his laces together and slid out of the the door without a sound. Silently, he made his way to school, the streets blurring together as he walked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ada noticed the flickering of a TV in a shop window. He wandered over, distracted by the sound of a news broadcast. On the screen was a reporter, presenting what sounded like the weather. "Expected to be sunny for the rest of today. In other news, geologists are warning about the potential for a world-wide earthquake and the risks it poses. Tune in at twelve for more information." With the report over, Ada strolled away, back on his path to school.

He blinked as he stared up at the large building that he had suddenly arrived in front of. The gates stood late open, as if they were a mouth, waiting to swallow him whole. As he entered, he surveyed the ground for any sign of a teacher. Then, suddenly behind him, "Ada, Ada, Ada. Late as usual I see." Mr. Atkinson stood with his arms crossed, looking down on Ada with a smug look. "You really need to get up earlier. You know this is your last warning, and we'd all hate to see you leave. Doesn't your mother wake you up at least?" Ada nodded along mutely. "Say something, show some respect already!" Ada clenched his fist but held still. "Yes sir. I'm sorry, it won't happen again." "Good, it had better not." Pacified, Mr. Atkinson allowed Ada to continue to his classroom.

He knocked softly at the door, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the ground while he waited. After several minutes, the door swung open seemingly open. As Ada stepped into the room, he felt the eyes of most students on him. Thankfully, his teacher had continued to lecture and focus quickly drifted away from him. Now ignored, he slunk to the back of the class, finding his seat quietly. The class dragged on, and the drone of the lecture filled Ada's ears for the rest of the day.

Finally, the bell rang harshly, stirring the other students into life. His teacher rushed out of the classroom, eager to escape the crush of the busy hallways. Chatter filled the classroom. "Do you want to get a snack?" "What about next weekend? "Did you hear" "What about". The noise trailed off as he walked towards the gates, people silently parting as he walked past, conversation stopping as soon as he came near.

Once again, the streets blurred together as he moved, the sounds of busy cars drowning his ears. In a daze, Ada dragged his way home. However, before entering the front door, he stopped. He seemed to snap out of his trance as he appraised the entrance in front of him. Instead of reaching for his keys, Ada let out a deep breath. He put his bag down gently against the door and straightened his disheveled uniform. From inside the bag he grasped a dark green hoodie which he threw on while pulling his tie off. Transformed, Ada made his way in a new direction, past his house.

The rhythmic beat of his footsteps soon became a crunch on the now gravel path as he wandered further and further down the road. As the road changed, so did the sky, fading into a dim purple. Ada kept walking. He might have been missed by now, maybe reported even, but he didn't care. In the quiet of the night his steps echoed around him. Ada abruptly stopped, caught under a lone streetlight. "Hahahahaha!" His laughter was the first sound he'd made since leaving school. "What the hell am I doing?" He pushed his hair out of his face and looked around. He'd made his way to a desolate backroad near the water, surrounded by steep cliffs, ocean and the flat road behind him. Gazing down at his broken watch, the time read 11:17 pm. "I'm here now. May as well look around".

The waves danced over his feet as he stood on the beach, sand beneath his toes. The moonlight made the water glow a strange blue, mixing with the lapping of waves. "Maybe I should go home. It'll be fine, I can just say I was studying at school. Or maybe not. Me, studying? Yeah right. And at 11:24? No chance." Ada sighed as his shoulders dropped, shaking his head. "What do I do then?" He paused. "WHAT DO I DO!" He shouted out across sea. But no answer followed. Ada dropped to the ground, head in his hands. The water flowed around him, soaking his pants and the bottom of his hoodie. "What do I do?" He whispered to himself. As he pulled his hands away, he found a tear rolling down his face.

Silently he stood up, shaking from the chill of the water and the cold within him. He dried his face on his sleeve and stepped forwards. One foot in front of the other. Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. He stopped once he reached the top of the cliff. Now sweat dripped from his face instead of tears. The climb was exhausting but he was still cold and shaking. He pulled off his hoodie and dropped it besides him. He pulled his uniform and shoes until he stood in his boxers in front of the edge. He took the shoes and examined them for a minute. Then, Ada flung them over the cliff. "Good riddance!" He shouted. He picked up his messy shirt and pants and without a second thought hurled then after the shoes. "And you too!". As he grabbed the hoodie he stopped with a jolt. He touched the soft fabric, then lowered it to the ground gently. He folded the hoodie neatly, leaving it lying on the ground next to him. "Sorry," he whispered. "I don't want to do this any more."